Europe » Euro U-21 2009

Defiant Lopez Caro Does Not Deem Spain’s Exit From U-21 Euros A Failure

La Roja’s Under-21 side may have crashed out of the European Championship, but the coach is still satisfied with the performance from his troops.

Jun 23, 2009 2:07:37 AM

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Lopez Caro - Celta (foto Josele Ruiz)

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Spain picked up their first and only win at the European U-21 Championships on Monday evening when they beat Finland 2-0 in the final group game.

The three points, however, wasn’t enough to keep them in the competition, as they were pipped to a semi-final berth by Germany.

Despite the elimination, coach Juan Ramon Lopez Caro did not feel that his young lads had been a disappointment in the tournament.

“Failure is a term to be used if we were below par. But when the players have delivered, I do not feel as though we failed,” he said during the post-match press conference.

“It is obvious that I am not happy, but these things happen in football. Against England [in the previous group game], we committed a number of mistakes and that has eliminated us from the tournament.

“But we stayed true to our game. It was clear that we were committed to our attacking style and Germany and England have taken advantage of that to play on the counter. Those small details cost us.

“Against Finland, our football concept was far superior to theirs. We deserved more goals as we dominated the ball and controlled the game.”

When asked if he would retain his job, he shot back at reporters, “Don’t ask me that. I’m sure some of you are happy, but it is not my responsibility.”

KS Leong, Goal.com

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